Yellow Journalism

Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) has proposed a measure for my daughter and John McCain (and others), which would put the Senate on record as saying that a "natural-born citizen" would include anyone born to a citizen while that citizen was serving in the military. [Don't blame me; that's the wording that appeared in the paper.]

McCaskill's action was prompted by an ignorant article in the previously discredited New York Times that improperly questioned Senator McCain's "natural-born" eligibility for the presidency. McCain was born in the Panama Canal Zone in 1936, when it was under the control of the U.S. military. His father was a naval officer.

My daughter was born a few years later in a U.S. Army hospital in France. I was an Army NCO, but my daughter, another natural-born citizen, won't be running for president; her horses won't let her.


Happy Leap Day.

The Ninth Commandment

The traditional Bible says the Ninth Commandment is "Thou shalt not bear false witness," but Today's English Version states it more clearly as "Do not accuse anyone falsely." In many religions, breaking this Commandment is a grievous sin. In all modern societies, lying is frowned upon, and, in some "primitive" cultures, those who lie are even subject to corporal punishment.

In my lifetime, I have observed a number of elected officials lie. After my idyllic childhood, I went to college, and I learned of Senator Joe McCarthy, whose lies ruined several lives and earned him the censure of the U.S. Senate. Later, President Richard Nixon was involved in a petty crime and lied about it, but he had the good grace to resign. President Bill Clinton denied his sexual peccadillos, but he lied and was impeached. He has no grace.

More recently, the disgruntled Democrats lost the 2000 presidential election, and they embarked upon a reprehensible program of lies that still reverberates today. I allow myself to be offended by the following lies:

1. The election of 2000 was fraudulent -- LIE
Every election has a small amount of voter fraud, but the outcome in 2000 was not affected.

2. President Bush stated fraudulent reasons for invading Iraq -- LIE
The U.S. and several other countries of the world had intelligence that said Saddam Hussein was trying to obtain fissionable material. We did accomplish his removal.

3. There were no WMDs -- LIE
Saddam had sent rockets into Kuwait and shot and gassed thousands of his own citizens. The weapons had been there, but somehow they were sold, destroyed or hidden before we arrived.

4. The war is for oil -- LIE
Certainly, when you deal with countries of the Middle East, the subject of oil comes up, but neither President Bush, not his friends or family, nor the American people stole or profited one cent from Iraqi oil.

5. President Bush didn't honor his National Guard commitment -- LIE
It was Dan Rather's fiction.

6. The election of 2004 was fradulent -- LIE
The Electoral College is a part of the Constitution, and grousing about it won't change the results. The Democrats aren't disturbed enough to try to amend the Constitution yet, are they?

7. The firing of the U.S. Attorneys was a scandal -- LIE
That's why no one has been punished. It was a smoke screen to embarrass the President.

8. And finally, in an attempt to discredit the next President, John McCain had a affair with a lobbyist seven years ago -- LIE
They couldn't verify it at that time, either.

William F. Buckley Jr. 1925-2008

A bright light has gone out, and the world is a little dimmer tonight. His genius will be missed, and his lessons must never be forgotten.

Rest in Peace.

Curmudgeon

Part of the definition of a curmudgeon ("ill-tempered") does not apply to me. I am a happy, fun-loving person who enjoys all forms of humor, even the dark ones. I am particularly amused when fools allow themselves to be offended by what I say. Sometimes, like Leonard Adame, I exaggerate, for effect. I only allow myself to be offended by disgruntled Democrats who disobey the Ninth Commandment. Don't they believe in the Biblical Hell?

I thought h might enjoy some of the emails I've submitted to TV:

What surprises me about the Obama campaign is that so many naive people are supporting someone who has done nothing, and has no plans to do anything. Hope is a dream, and change without details is just talk.

In about 50 years or so, when the lies have been forgotten, and the people of the Middle East are free, George W. Bush will be declared the greatest U.S. President ever. Until then, I kinda like Thomas Jefferson. [Jorge almost infarcted.]

(Those two appeared on KNVN-TV. Some of the following are still pending.)

Cuba: I have never understood why my government has deprived me of fine cigars and dancing the conga for 45 years. I don't see how we've accomplished anything but turn a pleasant tourist trap, populated with happy, fun-loving people, into a land of sadness and poverty.

Immigration is not a computer game. Undesirables are sneaking into this country daily, and we must find a way to weed them out from the people who want to respect our laws and make a positive contribution.

Berkeley: Is there no city in which to live? New York City has abolished the school board, Los Angeles has invited the homeless of the world to sleep on its streets, Chico wastes money on surveys, among other things, and now, Berkeley wants to insult the U.S. Marines. They must apologize to the people of the U.S.

Finally: We should pattern our trials of terrorists after those that were held for the Nazis at Nuremberg. To this day, it hasn't been suggested by anyone that they were anything but fair and appropriate.

Letter to the editor

All three letters to the editor (of the Chico Enterprise-Record) on 2/21 contained elements of untruth and fuzzy thinking. Please permit me to point them out.

Erin Spasbo bemoaned that her boyfriend was fined for breaking the law. He's one of those cyclists who wants to have all the privileges of drivers, but his girlfriend doesn't want him to be punished for flaunting traffic laws.

Fred Kelley confused "bad words" with bad people. "Illegal aliens," "welfare cheaters," and "terrorists" are undesirable persons, especially terrorists, which Kelley naively thinks are less dangerous than "our deficient health care system." What need will dead Americans have for doctors and hospitals?

And the king of those who have drunk the liberal Kool-Aid, Leonard Adame, rambled on negatively about people who are more significant and influential than himself. Then, he concluded with the completely unsubstantiated allegation that Yum Brands (Burger King) "has enslaved immigrant workers in Florida." Adame just loves that kind of inflammatory rhetoric, and he should pray that The (Burger) King doesn't sue him.

Parenthetically, if the immigrants to which he alludes are illegal, who cares if they are underpaid? If they are legal, they are free to find better jobs, and get off those "chain gangs" that Adame has never seen.

Agenda

Compliments of Robert Minch of the Red Bluff Daily News, here is the agenda of the opening day of the Democratic National Convention:

"Opening flag burning

Pledge of Allegiance to the U.N. (en espanol)

Toast -- Ted Kennedy

Prayer meeting -- Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton

Toast -- Ted Kennedy

Ceremonial tree hugging

Al Gore -- 'How I Invented the Internet'

Saddam Memorial Rally -- Cindy Sheehan and Susan Sarandon

Toast -- Ted Kennedy

Charitable donation for Osama Bin Laden's kidney transplant. Host -- Barbra Striesand

Talk on Oval Office affairs -- William Jefferson Clinton

'Truth in Broadcasting Award' presented to Dan Rather by Michael Moore"

Adjournment

By the end of the convention, Mrs. Bill Clinton will have her coronation, no matter how many delegates Obama amasses. The Clinton Machine and their superdelegates will install the candidate who has pledged to "take something away" from the most productive people in society, and give it to the least. (Karl Marx, where are you?)

Three for America

Without discussing what they have or have not done, or what I think of it, I wish to present three politicians who appear to put the good of the people before their personal ambitions. They do this, frequently through what is commonly referred to as bi-partisan cooperation, but which is actually strength of character and true concern for those who elected them.

They were elected as Republicans, and they are being accused of betraying the party, but that is not important, because their allegiance is only to what they believe is right. So, whether they do what I believe is best or not, I respect their integrity. John McCain, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and George W. Bush are people I could (or did) vote for.


BY THE WAY: It's Presidents' Day. No President was born on February 18.

A genu-wine jerk

You might remember Jorge Smirnoff. In the newspaper and on TV, he's the person who blames everything bad on George W. Bush. If he wakes up with a bit of crustiness in his eye, it's Bush's fault. If it's raining outside, it's Bush's fault. If his ass itches, it's Bush's fault.

In his latest email to TV, he finally gave us some insight into his character. He described himself as an ex-Marine. There is no such thing as an ex-Marine. To be that, you would have to be dead or have been dishonorably discharged. The Corps insists -- once a Marine, always a Marine.

Because he's obviously corporally extant, I must suspect the alternative explanation. That might explain why, in that same email, he equated the President and Vice-President of the United States with Islamic terrorists. That was, as I responded, reprehensible.

Certainly, no President has been free of faults, but the Office of the President, the leader of the free world, must be given the same respect as the Office of the Papacy.

For instance, I wouldn't even spit on Bill Clinton today, but when he was the President, he represented the United States, and I gave the Office the respect it commands. That's why I am still ashamed that I once booed President Truman. Jorge Smirnoff has no shame, unless, possibly, his military record.

Eavesdropping

The Democrats' answer to everything is avoidance. Instead of re-authorizing the effective Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, they changed the subject, and tried to punish two presidential confidants in the federal prosecutors' non-issue. Failing that, they went on vacation.

"Input"

Recently, the Sacramento Bee, a second-tier, provincial newspaper, fired its editor, citing that he was "not taking the paper in the right direction," whatever that means. We got a hint, when he accepted other employment as an "immigration activist," whatever that is.

The new editor has done little except ask the staff, readers and business leaders what to do, in long, rambling regular articles. Because she asked for "input," I wrote her a letter suggesting that leadership involves coming to the job knowing what to do, and, subsequently, directing people to do it. She responded with a snippy (snappy, snipy) email which, although it was more concise than her previous writings, told me to mind my own business; that that was not her definition of leadership.

Isn't it curious how so many people who invite constructive criticism, don't really want it? I think it's all a part of the liberal ethos: "Tell me what you think. . . as if I care. I'm right; I'm always right."

2 - 300 Contest

Today is the second anniversary of Little Iodine (A Tribute to Jimmy Hatlo), and my 300th post. I've done a lot of thinking , and presented a number of posts, containing mostly conservative thought and humor, sometimes simultaneously. I hope some of them have been helpful and/or entertaining.

Following the example of OPE, I am having a contest. When I receive 100 entries, the festivities will end, and I will select a winner. All you have to do is name, by title, your favorite of the 300, and if it matches mine, I will write an article on a subject of your choice, suitable for framing and submitting to any newspaper which I guarantee will publish it.

Hurry, don't miss the deadline.

Clue: At #200, I selected my favorite to that point. Also, please note the punctuation (or, rather, the lack thereof).


Roy Scheider 1935-2008 RIP

A mere pittance

I have decided not to pursue my $300 "stimulus," because to do so, I would have to spend the better part of an hour preparing my tax form, something I haven't had to do for 11 years. I still don't make enough to file, and I think I'll just let sleeping dogs lie. I can't see how $300 will make any difference in my life, anyway. In addition, if I didn't have $3,000 earned income, I'd get nothing. You would think that someone who earns that little could really use the money, so caring about people is not the goal of this expensive, ill-advised nonsense. Could it's being an election year have anything to do with it?

I will feel good that I didn't add to the deficit which we owe China, and feeling good about yourself by pretending to care is what liberalism is all about. Maybe I'm becoming a liberal.


EXTRA: Probably half the adults in the world think they can write. Many of them can. Why did producers of movies and TV ever sign union contracts when writers were looking for work by the hundreds every day?

$$$

If the politicians want every child to have health insurance, and they are hell-bent on giving away money, why not give every parent enough to purchase health insurance for the kids, AND NOTHING ELSE?

Because the vast majority of children are already healthy, the pols should be able to negotiate favorable contracts with health providers, and obtain coverage for the little ones for several years for that $600-1200, plus $300 per child they are talking about. Remember, St. Jude's treats the most tragic children's illnesses FOR FREE. That's why I contribute to them, and endure regular annoying appeals for more.

The "latest"

Recently, some employers have been threatening to fire people who don't stop smoking or who are obese. The reasoning has been that medical care for fatties and puffers is more expensive than for "normal" people. Apparently, not so.

LONDON (AP) The Netherlands National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (probably, by majority vote) has determined that, "If you live longer, then you cost the health care system more. . . Dutch researchers found that the health costs of thin and healthy people in adulthood are higher than those of either fat people or smokers.

"The researchers found that from ages 20 to 56 [working age], obese people racked up the highest health costs. BUT [my caps] because both the smokers and obese people died sooner than the healthy group, it cost less to treat them in the long run."

Before you say ah- ha, "On average, healthy people lived 84 years. Smokers lived about 77 years, and obese people lived about 80 years," so that's a full working career.

"Ultimately, the thin and healthy group cost the most, about $417,000, from age 20 on. The cost of care for obese people was $371,000, and for smokers, $326,000."

Science strikes again.


EXTRA: By the way, Lent starts today. I am giving up prune whip, as usual.

Vote

I know, voting has become very discouraging. It's the old "lesser or two evils" syndrome again. When did that start happening?

We see rallies and conventions on TV, and people are waving signs and joyously carrying on about their favorites. Who are these people? Do you know any of them? Everyone I talk to says they are not happy with any of the choices. Could we earn some money by pretending to be rabid about someone on TV? Nobody I know would do so for free.

Since 1964, when I was very supportive of Barry Goldwater for president, I have only felt good about Hubert Humphrey, Ronald Reagan (second term) and Bob Dole. (All but Reagan lost.) I have never been tempted not to vote, but where have good men like those named above gone? Have we sunk irretrievably into the morass of partisan politics? If Jesus Christ, reputedly the only perfect person who ever lived, were to return and run for president, would he lose because he was a member of the "wrong" party?

The Super Bowl

What did I tell you? The Giants won the Super Bowl. Oh, did I forget to tell you? How negligent of me. Did it make a difference in your life?

Happy Groundhog Day

In case he reads this, I'd like to wish a happy birthday to the family groundhog, wherever he is. I would also like to ask him to allow my grandson and his daughter to communicate with me. I'd love to get an answer to my letter, and establish a dialogue.

I was just interrupted by a teacher at my door, asking me to vote yes on a bond issue to repair the schools. As you know, I have already voted, and yes, I supported the schools, However, first born pays the taxes around here, and she asks, "Why a bond issue on which we will be paying compound interest for 30 years, instead of a one-time, short- term tax increase?"

It's constitutional, no doubt. It's like the Electoral College, which has "always been so," so it never changes. Someday, politicians will stop bloviating about change, and actually do something. Hopefully, it will be for the better.

Letter to an editor

After another long, rambling commentary on what Donald L. Ward perceives is wrong with America, in the next to the last paragraph, he hits upon the truth. He refers to "our desperate and eager work force." If that were only a reality.

Over the years, a series of debilitating liberal actions have created a large community of entitlement dependents who are eager NOT to work. So, after Ward has been blaming the government and the politicians, it turns out it's the people who could bring the country down. Those Americans who won't do the work immigrants will, have to become those "desperate and eager" workers that Ward imagines.

When the people repudiate the free-ride mentality, reject government largess, and restore self-respect and self-determination, America will regain the respect of the world. Then, and only then.